constitution Hear it!

constitution Definition

con·sti·tu·tion (kän′stə to̵̅o̅′s̸hən, -tyo̵̅o̅′-)

noun

  1. the act of setting up or making up; establishment, appointment, or formation
  2. the way in which a thing is made up; structure; organization; makeup
  3. the physical, or rarely mental, makeup of a person a man of strong constitution
  4. the way in which a government, state, society, etc. is organized
  5. a decree, regulation, or custom
    1. the system of fundamental laws and principles of a government, state, society, corporation, etc., written or unwritten
    2. a document or set of documents in which these laws and principles are written down

Etymology: ME constitucioun < OFr constitution < L constitutio: see constitute

constitution Idioms

the Constitution

the document containing the fundamental laws of the United States: it consists of the seven original articles, adopted in 1789, and twenty-seven amendments

constitution Synonyms

constitution

n.

  1. Health

    physique, build, physical makeup, vitality; see health 2, physique.

  2. A basic political document

    code, written law, charter, custom; see law 2.

  3. Makeup

    nature, composition, disposition, structure; see character 2, essence 1, organization 1, 2.

constitution Law Definition

n

  1. The fundamental and organic laws and principles of a country or state that create a system of government and provides a basis against which the validity of all other laws is determined.
  2. The fundamental rules governing an association.
Constitution
The Constitution of the United States, written in 1787 and put into effect in 1789.
unwritten constitution
The body of fundamental and organic laws and principles contained in a series of statutes, court decisions, governmental proclamations, and tradition that has been accepted as such by the government and people (often over generations or centuries). For example, the United Kingdom has an unwritten constitution that includes the Magna Carta (written in 1215), the Bill of Rights of 1689, and other documents and tradition.
written constitution
A single written document that embodies all the fundamental and organic laws and principals of a country or state. For example, the United States has a written constitution.

constitution Usage Examples

Converse of subject

  • govern: VSSN is governed by a constitution with charitable objects: read the constitution.
  • guarantee: Both must be guaranteed by a new Iraqi constitution.

Converse of object

  • codify: The implications of the Human Rights Act were not noticed because we do not have a codified constitution.
  • amend: Constitution changes All motions put forward in the ballot to amend the constitution were carried by considerably more than the two thirds majority required.
  • adopt: Canada adopted a constitution in 1982 which Quebec has never accepted.
  • rewrite: I persuaded the council of the institute that we should rewrite the constitution in plain English.
  • draft: The process to draft the constitution had already been the subject of intense controversy.
  • propose: The draft constitution also proposed that any person under 30 years should be able to join.

Adjective modifier

  • unwritten: Without exception, the states rejected the unwritten constitution of Britain.
  • written: These pages offer you a link to the written constitution of almost every country in the world.
  • democratic: This is the only way the masses can begin to decide what kind of democratic constitution they want.
  • federal: The ACTU's main concern was to defend the civil rights that were guaranteed in state and federal constitutions.
  • European: Much of the document consists of the standard features of post-war European constitutions.
  • republican: Why is there no party which sets the aim of a democratic republican constitution on the road to socialism?

Modifies a noun

referendum: Tony Blair wants to fight and win the EU constitution referendum, leaving on a high.

Noun used with modifier

  • draft: A new draft constitution was expected to be agreed in mid July.
  • iron: Only someone with an iron constitution could have lasted that long.
  • model: A model constitution for such churches wanting to join the United Reformed Church has been prepared.
  • club: The club has no shirt sponsor - and will never do so - and for the moment have stuck rigidly to their club constitution.
  • state: On the whole, state constitutions reflected fear of government tyranny more than they reflected the need to create forceful, effective government.